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Building Codes and Inspections/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Apartment above the boiler room | 2/4/2012 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: Sharon: I live on the first floor of the building where I reside with the boiler room directly below ... A: I got even more precise information from a well known building inspector here in California: You ... | ||
| Building Code Variance | 2/2/2012 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: Keith, I'm looking at adding a stall to my garage but am going to likely come too close to the ... A: You probably have several issue here. The first is not a building issue, but zoning, which requires ... | ||
| apartment door mailslots | 1/13/2012 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: My job as a maintenance associate with a large reality company requires me to seal off all the mail ... A: The problem with mail slot in doors is that it violates the door's rating. Once the rating is ... | ||
| sill seal | 12/21/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I am building a small (28x28) agriculture building in Hawaii. The code they go by is IBC 2006. ... A: My suggestion is to get back to the building official there and find out why they are requiring the ... | ||
| Commercial Floor Load | 12/19/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I am trying to buy a home that is zoned residential/commercial. I need to find out what the floor ... A: The minimum required loads are indicated in Sections 1606 and 1607 of the '06 IBC. Table 1607.1 ... | ||
| hot water tank | 12/9/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I have NO idea who to ask about this, So if you dont know this kind of thing could you maybe point ... A: Although you would think that showers would have the same effect, I wonder about corrosion inside ... | ||
| LP furnace in Garage | 11/16/2011 | Fred Weldin |
| Q: Fred You had answered a question some time ago about a gas furnace in a garage. To expand on that ... A: Wayne: A closet is not required, but protection from the vehicle(s) is. If there's no protection ... | ||
| Asbestos Abatement and Insulation Career advice | 11/15/2011 | Fred Weldin |
| Q: I'm not sure if you can help me but its worth a shot here, and really I just need ... A: Dave: I'm not involved with asbestos abatement, but I spoke with a friend who's an Industrial ... | ||
| Asbestos Abatement and Insulation Career advice | 11/15/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I'm not sure if you can help me but its worth a shot here, and really I just need ... A: It sounds like a reasonable deal to me. I know the insulation and energy field is really growing in ... | ||
| Replacing a pipe | 10/24/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I live in a plan of homes. I rent but have been here for 25 years. The construction crew doing the ... A: I would say you need to 1) go to your city and make a complaint and 2) go to your utility company, ... | ||
| exit sign placement | 10/21/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: My wife recently fell over an exit sign in a public building and was injured. The sign was mounted ... A: I assume you are talking about a sign with raised letters and braille, because the regular ... | ||
| tempered glass handrail | 10/13/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I have a question regarding handrail glass thickness required for a handrail installed California. ... A: it sounds as if you have already contacted the Glass Association, which is how I usually direct ... | ||
| Altering Foundation | 10/9/2011 | Fred Weldin |
| Q: I have a customer that, while I stopped the job due to conflicts with contracted work, hired an ... A: I don't do structural/architectural. However, I have worked as a contractor, and interfaced with ... | ||
| Stair Handrails - Grandfather clause | 10/7/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I just purchased a home in Pittsburgh, PA in May of 2010. My company is moving me now to North ... A: I know of almost no codes of any kind that require you to remodel something that was code compliant ... | ||
| building code for tankless hot water | 9/24/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: We live in Tulsa OK. I bought this house in 2005. I had the old hot water tank removed and had ... A: You should contact the building official in your municipality to find out what the code is there, as ... | ||
| color of signs / ADA Compliant Eyewash | 9/23/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: You answered a question 2/5/10 about Washington ADA restroom signs. Part of your answer was: The ... A: I"m sorry about the error for Washington ISA signs. I do remember now that the State of Washington ... | ||
| code for waterheater strapping | 9/14/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: What is the code for the strapping for a water heater? I thought it was two straps that went ... A: Strapping of the heater is usually seismic bracing that's only required in some areas. You should ... | ||
| Louvered doors in front of furnace/water heater | 9/10/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: We removed the metal, folding, louvered doors in front of our gas water heater & electric furnace. ... A: The louvered doors are there probably to provide combustion air for the flame producing appliances ... | ||
| stair access | 8/27/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: In a high rise bldg in San Diego should everyone have access to the stairways? My daughter inlaw has ... A: I don't know of a requirement to allow employees to go up the stairs, except that during a fire ... | ||
| Garage to room - permit? | 8/25/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I have been searching for a house to live in, and have found a few places. I toured one house and ... A: The thing to do is to check with the municipal building official of the municipality in which the ... | ||
| Gas Water Heater | 8/18/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: What is the code for having a gas water heater in a garage. Currently,have one in the garage; it is ... A: The code that governs the building will be that which was in effect at the time of construction. ... | ||
| Egress | 8/9/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: What is the egress door requirement for office spaces. I would like to use a sliding room divider ... A: As far as accessibility goes, I think the main thing is that you need the proper width for the ... | ||
| ADA Area of Refuge Directional Signs | 8/4/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: Can you comment on the following section from the IBC and the related question down below: 1007.10 ... A: I love the fact that, although various people from the IBC know that the ANSI Standards Committee ... | ||
| Stairwell ID Signs | 7/28/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: We have always made our Stairwell ID signs (for office buildings) with tactile text and ... A: It is a real sore point with me that this mistake was EVER made. Some very uninformed consultant ... | ||
| Garage Attic Space | 7/19/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: My husband and I recently bought a house with a large attic space over the garage. This space is ... A: The ceiling on top of which items are stored was probably not designed for storage, but rather for ... | ||
| 20min rated non-egress doors | 7/14/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: Is a single 20min non-egress door require hardware to be self closing /latching? Non-egress door is ... A: Yes, if the door is required to be 20 minute fire rated, it has to be self-closing and ... | ||
| vent fan | 7/7/2011 | Fred Weldin |
| Q: does my vent fan in the bathroom have to run from the outside? A: TD: Yes (I assume you mean "to the outside"). Furthermore, many jurisdictions require round metal ... | ||
| Bathroom door <32" in Jersey City High Rise | 7/2/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: we have two bathrooms, and one has a 30" door. Its a one story apt (in a 34 story high-rise in ... A: My only expertise on door width has to do with accessibility for persons with disabilities. If it's ... | ||
| Gas fired hot water heater flue | 7/1/2011 | Fred Weldin |
| Q: i live in mexico and am building a wood frame house. Im going to install a rheem 152ltr gas fired ... A: Ryan: Forgive me, but I was trying to be polite. Please look at this from my perspective: Here's a ... | ||
| Interior Door Jamb | 6/23/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I have noticed that interior door jambs are typically shimmed between the jamb and the frame. Our ... A: This is not something that I would normally get involved with - my expertise is in commercial doors ... | ||
| sliding glass doors | 6/22/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I am appraising a house that is 16 years old. The dining room has a sliding glass door with no ... A: This isn't really a door question and that's my area of expertise. I'm positive that there is a ... | ||
| nyc code | 6/22/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: We have a client that lives in a two family house in the Bronx, NY. She was exiting the houses and ... A: Well, I'm not an attorney, and not a NYC code expert either. However, I do believe it is the owner ... | ||
| Handrail on new stairs in a 7 Unit Apartment building | 6/18/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I purchased a 7 Unit apartment house in Swoyersville, PA a few months ago in Luzerne County. The ... A: Yes, you need handrails on both sides. Here is a summary of rules for stairs:If you want to see the ... | ||
| Handrail on new stairs in a 7 Unit Apartment building | 6/17/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I purchased a 7 Unit apartment house in Swoyersville, PA a few months ago in Luzerne County. The ... A: I know how hard times are right now, and any expenditure that does not seem necessary is very ... | ||
| restrooms in restuarants | 6/9/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: I live in Honolulu/Waikiki Hawaii and have noticed a serious problem with homelessness here which ... A: I have to confess that I do not know the codes in your state about this. I think that in California, ... | ||
| "California" contracted grade 2 Braille. | 5/23/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: Is there a difference between "california contracted grade 2 braille" and "contracted grade 2 ... A: Contracted (Grade 2) Braille, applies only to the translation of braille, i.e. how the words in ... | ||
| outside stairs | 5/17/2011 | Keith Fuller |
| Q: I live in an area of Texas where the ground is known to shift. When my house was built, it was built ... A: This is a fairly common problem. The structure, which is on a foundation, does not settle. The ... | ||
| fire rating for inside door going from garage into house | 5/9/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I have a steel door with windows fire rated for 20 minutes. This door is an inside door going from ... A: Most residential building codes require a 20-minute rated door or equivalent between the house and ... | ||
| Main entrance door closers | 5/3/2011 | Lori Greene |
| Q: I am finishing 3 apartments on the second floor of a commercial building and the inspector is asking ... A: Typically the door between an apartment and the corridor would be fire rated, and fire doors must be ... | ||
| Are buinesses required to have public restrooms? | 4/24/2011 | Sharon Toji |
| Q: Yesterday, My mother and I and my 3 yr old daughter (who now only wears big girl underwear, no ... A: I am sure there is no obligation in a business without sit-down eating facilities to have a public ... | ||
Building Codes and Inspections
Answers by Expert:
Sharon Toji
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I have special expertise in the subject of accessibility codes and guidelines (ADA), and most specifically in the field of signage. If you have a question that is not about the ADA or about signs, I suggest you try the following excellent site: Naffa International BCDG (Building Code Discussion Group). The website address is http://bcodes.infopop.cc/eve/ You do have to register, but it's free. You will find discussions here on all kinds of Building Code Q & A topics. You go to the forum that sounds as if it's close to your topic, check out some of the posts and see if it sounds like a fit. Then pose your question. With luck, you may get some really good answers. You can email some of the experts individually by clicking on the headings of their posts. When you ask a question, of me, or of someone on the above site, tell them your state, and maybe your city if it's a large city. That is crucial for answering code questions. Sharon Toji
Experience
I am a voting delegate to the American National Standards Institute that writes accessiblity standards used by the International Building Code and are the basis for the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG). I am also a member of the Access Advisory Committee to the California State Building Standards Commission, among other positions.
Publications
Signs and the ADA (a manual I have written that is used across the country), and articles in many trade journals.
Education/Credentials
BA, Reed College
Graduate work, University of Munich (Germany) and University of California, Irvine
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